The Perfect Gift
by Dreamless-Mermaid
Summary: COMPLETE! Marty can't seem to figure out what to get Jennifer for their anniversary. A short fic, MartyJennifer
1. Chapter 1

The Perfect Gift

Chapter 1

**AN: Hello, all! This is my very first Back to the Future story, so please go easy on me. It's not a trilogy story or anything like that. I know the title is pretty lame but it gets its point across, haha. Anyway, I believe some thanks and credit are in order. To one of the greatest BttF authors that I've seen so far, Flaming Trails, for letting me borrow three of her characters; Rick, J.J. and Spydo. Thanks again, girl! (By the way, go check out some of her stories. Believe me, you WON'T be disappointed)**

**I hope _I_ don't disappoint any of you, either! So read on and I do love reviews (hint hint) Thanks!**

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"Marty…Come on, Marty, wake up…" A voice whispered in his ear. He felt someone's hand on his chest and he knew who's it was. Smiling wearily, eyes still closed, he lifted his own hand to pick up the second. He laced his fingers through the familiar hand and rolled over on his right side. This was when his eyes opened slowly, the gorgeous baby blues landing on a woman's face.

Marty McFly's smile grew as she gazed back at him lovingly. He loved it when she woke him up. She was the first thing he saw everyday. He couldn't believe that he'd been married to Jennifer for almost three years. As he gazed at her, he thought what went through his head every morning. 'She's so beautiful. I'm so lucky to have her.'

"I slept through the alarm again, didn't I?" He asked quietly. Jennifer nodded. Marty sighed. "Some things never change." He said, referring to the times he's always late for anything important. Hell, he was late to his own wedding.

Jennifer laughed softly. "Don't I know it. We're in Colorado by the way," She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I'll wake up the others, then start breakfast." She leaned in and gave her husband a quick kiss before taking her hand out of his. She stood up and headed out the door to the other end of the bus.

Marty took in a deep breath, sat up, and exhaled while looking beyond to the window in the average sized bedroom. A rosy pink streaked across the sky and complimented the cerulean blue that was early morning. He spotted frost around the window frame and grinned, knowing that the ground would have a fresh blanket of snow. He too pulled his legs out from under the warm covers and over the side of the bed. He stood and walked to the very small dresser where he pulled on a fresh pair of jeans over his purple Calvin Klein boxers. He switched t-shirts and slowly padded out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"What's on the schedule for today?" He sleepily asked his three band mates. One of them, Rick, pulled out a folded piece of paper from his jeans he fell asleep in the night before, unfolded it and squinted at the tiny words under the dim light.

"According to this, we have to be at the coliseum by eight for a run through." He said.

"What time is it?" Marty asked. Rick stole a glance at his watch.

"Six forty-five." He replied. Marty and his two other friends, Spydo and J.J., groaned.

"You know, I really love going on tour, but why does R.J. insist on us being at practice so goddamn early?" Spydo complained from his position on a long, cushiony couch. "I mean, that show don't even start until seven or eight at night!"

"I've wondered the same thing everyday. The only thing I've come up with is that R.J. is crazy." J.J. said wearily. All four of them cracked a grin. Just then, Jennifer popped her head in from the next room over.

"Morning, guys. Breakfast is almost ready if you're hungry." She said, leaving them in their grief. The men left the small living room to join Jennifer in the kitchen. They sat at the table, which was really only a booth that just barely held the four of them.

"It's really awesome that you make food for us all the time, Jennifer." Rick thanked as he watched the woman butter toast. Jennifer shrugged.

"I really don't mind. I need something to do besides waiting for you to be done with practice. I'm actually getting better." She confessed.

"Yeah, we've noticed." J.J. said, giving his friends a meaningful look. They all nodded, remembering Jennifer's first try at making food from scratch. Needless to say, the chicken wasn't cooked all the way through, the bread was burnt to a crisp and the veggies were only halfway thawed. She had certainly come a long way.

'In fact, we _all_ have.' Marty thought. His life was turning out better than he expected. His horrible, from what Jennifer replayed to him, future in 2015 was not to be. At only twenty-six years old, Marty McFly and his band, The Pinheads, was one of the fastest bands to skyrocket to stardom. They were discovered at some club, Marty couldn't remember the name of it now, when he was twenty-two. R.J., one of the British managers at Virgin Records, really dug their style and instantly wanted to produce an album. With his help the Pinheads put out their first record, "Heavy Sedation" in the United Kingdom, and the song soared to number one on the music charts. It stayed there for about four weeks. Once the band got enough publicity in England, R.J. told them they were ready to move on to the States. And move on they did. People took to the hit immediately and it did well, if not better, than it did in the U.K. They became instant rock stars.

Looking back on it all, Marty sometimes thought it was a dream. He had just graduated from college, going from an ordinary person with a wild dream to the guy that others dreamed to be like. Everything had happened so suddenly that he really never had time to let it all sink in. It seemed impossible to believe that one day he could be somewhere as simple as a grocery store, the people passing him by not even giving him a second glance, let alone care who he is. And then to be at that same store as he was a month or two before and have cameras flashing in his eyes, a mob of people surrounding him, pleading for just one autograph…

It was heavy stuff.

The Pinheads slowly adjusted to hearing their songs on the radio or seeing a hilariously fake article about one of them in the tabloids. Of course all of their family and friends stuck by and supported them, and each and every one was so happy for the boys. No one stuck by Marty as much as Doc and Jennifer, though.

Doc…

Marty smiled at the memory of his best friend and everything they'd been through when he was seventeen. Shortly after Marty's eighteenth birthday, Doc suddenly returned with Clara and his two sons, Jules and Verne. When Marty asked what brought him back, Doc answered that the West was getting a bit _too _wild, dangerous even, especially now that he had Clara and the boys to protect. Although 1986 was no better, Doc wanted to see Marty again. Eventually Doc moved out of his garage and to a very nice neighborhood, full of kids for Jules and Verne to make friends with. Of course, Doc still had the Time Train, but kept it hidden in a huge basement that only Doc, Clara and Marty knew about. As far as Marty knew, the Time Train was never used again after the move.

That was eight years ago, so knowing Doc, Marty was pretty sure the Train got to see the light a few more times.

He sure did miss him.

As he ate his unburned eggs and bacon, Marty pondered what old Doc was up to, how Clara and the boys were doing. 'They must be pretty big by now.' He thought. The last time he saw the Brown family was at Christmas three years ago. None of the Pinheads could get away for the holidays anymore. They started going on tour a year after their second album release, "I Got A Feeling". That one did better than "Heavy Sedation" and R.J. proposed the idea of a tour. Their last Christmas with their family and friends was just before they left. They've all gotten plenty of letters and gifts but it wasn't the same, especially for Marty. He wanted to hear his mother's story of the mysterious Calvin "Marty" Klein, even if it _was _for the billionth time. He missed Dave and Linda and all the bickering that used to go on between them. It got lonely on the road sometimes. Oh sure, Jennifer was a part of his family now, but there was no replacing the simplicity of loving parents and caring siblings.

Marty felt a body slide in beside him, which brought him out of his pensieve state. He glanced to his right to see Jennifer, eating her breakfast happily. He automatically slipped his arm around her shoulders, which made her scoot closer to his warm body.

"What do we have to do after practice?" Marty asked Rick, pointing to the innocent slip of paper that had ruined their morning. Rick picked it up and read off the rest of the schedule.

"From eight to ten is a run through. Ten-thirty to eleven-thirty is yet _another _run through, but with sound and light check," Rick sighed, but plunged on. "We have a two hour break to get showered and dressed because we have a TV spot at two."

"What show?" Jennifer asked, munching on her toast.

"It says here just some local talk show. We have to play "Punk Rock Blues", apparently," "Punk Rock Blues" was the newest song the Pinheads released just before the start of this third tour. "That'll last for an hour. Then we have to come back here for a newspaper interview at five. Once _that _is over with, we have an hour to do whatever we want. Score! Who's up for some Atari?" There was a chorus of cheers that erupted among his fellow band mates. It was rare that they ever got "hang out time". The majority of their day was filled with even _more_ practices and TV slots, along with interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Performances always started at seven or seven-thirty, eight at the latest, so R.J. had to plan the interviews carefully so they wouldn't run into show time.

Jennifer just shook her head and laughed. They were twenty-six years old and they still loved to play the Atari games, especially Marty. It was his game set that was currently sitting on the living room floor. He couldn't bring himself to get rid of it.

"You guys know what comes after that." Rick said, tossing the paper on the table. The other three nodded, Jennifer getting up and taking five empty plates with her. The boys smiled their thanks up at her.

"You better get dressed, it's seven forty-five." Jennifer warned, setting the plates gently in the sink.

"Shit," Marty sighed. The four rose from the table, Rick, J.J. and Spydo shuffling to the room they shared, while Marty jogged to the bedroom to grab his coat. "Why do we have to cut these things so damn close?"**

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****AN: So? What do you guys think? I know that this chapter doesn't get to the plot point, but it will around chapter 2. This was just an introduction chapter of sorts. Please leave me some feedback and if you absolutely MUST critique, please do so in a nice way and let me know how I can improve in my writing instead of flaming me. I would really appreciate it. But, if you are one of those people that thought this sucked and flame me, I will only laugh at you and ignore you. Seriously, I've seen it done to way too many authors, myself included, and all it does is bring their self esteem down I'm sure. **

**Anyway, so yeah, review por favor:)**

**DreamlessMermaid **


	2. Chapter 2

The Perfect Gift

Chapter 2

**AN – All right so apparently I did pretty well in the first chapter, which makes me happy! I'm so glad you guys like it. I was really concerned what you guys thought for some reason because I'm usually not like that. And thanks a BUNCH for not flaming me, I really appreciate it : ) Okay, so I have a few shout outs to those of you that left me such awesome reviews (aka all of you, haha)**

**LegallyRed: Haha, thankies dearest! Yeah, I loved how I wrote it because I, too, was like, "This is totally what Marty would say". A song about the Under the Sea Enchantment? That'd be interesting….Anyway, thanks for the review, love! You need to update.**

**Flaming Trails: Oh my God thank you sooo much. This means a lot coming from you because I, seriously, think you're one of the best writers I know. I had a lot of fun writing the first chapter and how the band got their start. Yeah, I agree with you about pretty much EVERYTHING that you suggested for improvement. On the Wild West sentence, I hadn't realized I put too many "wilds" in there, oops. And on the sentence with the Time Train getting to see the light, yeah it was a simple mistake, you knew what I was talking about, haha. Anyway, thanks again so much for the review and I'm glad you like it!**

**Hot4KidFlash: Thanks for not flaming me. I think we've all had a few flames in our lives, but I don't think anyone should get them, no matter how bad you thought the piece of writing was. A nice, simple critique and suggestions of improvement would do nicely, know what I mean? Yes, I would love to check out some of your stories! I bet they're wonderful : ) Thanks again!**

**bttf4444: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. **

**No that those are out of the way, you can get on to reading chapter two. Reviews equal love :) Thanks!**

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The boys made it to the coliseum on time, if not just a few minutes late. Both practices went well, nothing went wrong, as they knew it would, except Marty's microphone refused to stay up. Everytime he adjusted it, it'd fall right back down. The microphone was soon replaced, much to Marty's happiness.

The interviews went as planned. The reporter asked Marty if he and Jennifer were thinking about having kids. Marty laughed, thinking about his son that he encountered in 2015, and replied with a simple, "Not yet."

Time passed slowly that day, the band members almost worn out by the time the concert started. They gave it their usual gusto for their screaming fans. No matter how tired Marty got, the energy of the people got his blood pumping and adrenaline raced through his body. He loved the thrill of playing for a crowd, no matter what size. Jennifer and R.J. watched backstage, both with a huge smile. When the Pinheads played their last song and finally exited the stage, Marty took Jennifer by the hand and walked out of the building for their usual alone time. It was a tradition they started during tour number one. After a show, the couple went out to do whatever they wanted.

"Great show." Jennifer complimented as they walked to the tour bus. Marty rolled his eyes.

"You always say that."

"I say it because it's true!" Jennifer said. "What would you rather hear? 'Jeez, that sucked?'"

Marty raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. On occasion," Jennifer gave a small cry of protest and shoved him. "It wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"All right, so from now on I'm going to say that all of the shows were bad, that they were just awful."

Marty frowned. "Well, when you put it like _that_-"

"Oh, Marty!" she cried, pushing him to the ground. Luckily, the snow broke some of the fall, but he still winced.

"What was that for?" he said. Jennifer casually picked up a handful of snow.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, starting to mold the snow into a ball. Marty eyed her carefully. "I swear, you're so weird, I sometimes wonder why I married you at all."

"Because I'm successful, full of charm, wit and good looks?" he said, secretly packing his own snow behind his back. Jennifer smirked, glanced at her snowball and said,

"Guess again!"

Marty was instantly greeted with compacted ice in his face. He was so startled that he spat some out his mouth and wiped his face with his sleeve, all to the sound of his wife's playful laugh.

That was when he remembered he had ammo.

Without a retort to Jennifer's act of betrayal, Marty launched his own snow, aimed straight for her face. She, unfortunately, didn't notice until it was too late. Her laughing stopped abruptly and she blinked. The two stared at one another until…

"You are _so_ going to pay for that, McFly!" Jennifer shouted. Grabbing as much snow as she could to throw at him. He didn't sit there, helpless. He scrambled up, copied Jennifer and chunked snow at her.

"You throw like a girl!" Marty shouted. Jennifer laughed, now kicking snow at him. Their fight continued for another thirty minutes before they finally fell to the ground, exhausted, each one covered in snow. They linked hands and Marty sighed happily. "I can't remember the last time I did that." he said.

"November 30, 1992, on tour number one." Jennifer said automatically. Marty sat up and looked at her.

"Your birthday? Really?" Jennifer nodded. "Aw crap, now I feel bad."

She laughed. "Don't worry about it. I only just now remembered it."

He unclasped his hand and pulled his knees to his chest. "It was so cold that day. It didn't help that we were in Maine, either."

She smiled. "No kidding. I hope we go back during summer," she, too, sat up. "Or better yet, are you ever going on tour in Europe?"

Marty rolled his eyes. "Who knows. I want to, there are enough fans over there."

"I don't think R.J. realizes it. You should talk to him."

Marty nodded absentmindedly, already way ahead of her. A Europe tour had never been discussed, though the albums had sold like crazy. He'd always meant to talk to R.J. about it, to see what he thought (the rest of the guys were all for it) but it seemed like the manager was always busy with some crisis of the week. After a while, the idea seemed more like a dream than reality, and it slowly faded away. It was things like this that always made Marty crazy for Jennifer. She encouraged him all the time, and pushed to get things done, and believed in him when no one else would. It was her that practically shoved him through the door of the radio station or a club. It was ironic really because a club was where they first met.

The couple finally stood up and started the trek back to the bus.

"Well, if the band goes to Europe or not, I'll take you myself." Marty said.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious! We'll go on a real tour of the UK and Italy and Ireland and France; instead of Kentucky and Utah," Jennifer laughed. "Hell, we'll have that honeymoon you've always wanted." he smiled. She sighed dramatically and batted her eyelashes.

"Golly gee, Marty do you mean it? That would be swell!" she said in a sickly sweet and unlike Jennifer voice. He rolled his eyes. "Please, you know I've never cared," her voice was now back to normal. She took his hand. "As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."

"I know, and I love you so much. It's just, wouldn't you like a day where people did stuff for _you_? Don't you want to be pampered and have a relaxing day? I thought girls liked that kind of thing."

She shrugged. "It _would_ be nice, I admit, but it'd feel weird. I've never lived a life like the celebrities."

"Well, you kind of are one. You are married to _me_." He said cockily. Jennifer scoffed.

"Let me live in something other than _that_," she pointed to the oversized tour bus that was in sight. "And then we'll talk celebrity." With that, she jogged the rest of the way to get out of the cold.

"Hey, Rick paid good money for that!" Marty called, running after her.

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That night, after the rest of the boys came back, they ate leftovers of spaghetti and garlic bread from the night before. After that, each one played an Atari game. They watched TV, called loved ones, and then agreed to go to bed. Brian, the driver, came inside to get directions to the next state from R.J., who promptly left to follow the bus.

As Marty lay in bed attempting to drift off, Jennifer already asleep beside him, he couldn't help but think about a date that was coming closer with each passing day. December 15th would mark his and Jennifer's third wedding anniversary. They got married shortly before going on tour, so they've never had a proper day to themselves on the fifteenth. The most they could provide was a card, and twice before it was always flowers. He really wanted to do something special for her, something that would blow her away and leave her speechless.

But what?

As he thought, he didn't realize that his eyelids drooped further and further until he was finally asleep.

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**AN: Aww, such a cute romp through the snow. I want to do that with a boy! (ahem) Anyway, what did you think? Leave it in a review! See you all in chapter 3!**

**DreamlessMermaid**


	3. Chapter 3

The Perfect Gift

Chapter 3

**AN: Yay! I got really good reviews on the last chapter, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed! Shout out time!**

**Hot4KidFlash: Thanks for thinking of me as a writer! Although I want to be an actress, I do this for fun :) And I went to your page to read some of your stories, but I'm not familiar with the Justice League, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help. I'm sorry :( I'll still read them anyway, even though I won't know what's going on, haha. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Flaming Trails: I just love snowball fights, it's the perfect addition to any story, lol. I'm really grateful that I have you to catch all of my mistakes, lord knows I make enough of them. Anyway, thanks for the review! **

**bttf4444: Thanks for the review. I really liked your stuff. I started reading "Marty's Twin" and couldn't help but think, "Whoa, déjà vu! This sounds exactly like BttF II, only some of the characters are switched". Then I read your reviews and found that two people have said the exact same thing, so I'm not going to harp on about it, lol. I read a few more other stories, and I liked them, they had a twist to them. Anyway, if you need help I will only be too happy to help. Hope you like this chapter!**

**All right, so this chapter is basically one long dream. You'll understand in chapter 4, haha. Read on, loves! And reviews make me extra happy :) **_

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__Bright lights, bass thumping, heart pounding in his ears, the body heat of one hundred or more people pressed against a scrawny fifteen year old Marty McFly. His eyes roamed the club crowd for his friends, finally spotting them by the stage. He squeezed through clumps of people, making his way across the floor slowly._

_"Hey, guys are we almost set up?" he asked breathlessly. The boy closest to him, Spydo, nodded, fiddling with a guitar amp. _

_"Just about. We have thirty more minutes until we're up." Spydo said. Marty nodded, shoving his shaking hands inside his jean pockets. His other friend, J.J., spotted this and laughed._

_"Marty, don't be nervous. We're going to knock 'em dead!" he encouraged. _

_"I know but this is my first real gig. I just want them to like us." Marty admitted._

_"Don't worry," the last friend, Rick, said as he leaned against the edge of the stage. "Once you're up there, the lights will be so bright that you can't see the crowd. And besides," he shrugged. "Once you get going, you'll forget everything and focus on the music. At least that's the way it is for me."_

_Marty scoffed. "That's easy for you to say. You've done a bazillion other things like this so you're used to it."_

_J.J. shook his head. "You don't think that Chuck Berry gets nervous before his first set? Or what about the Stones? Or Eric Clapton? It doesn't matter how much experience they've had; they're only human, so of course they'll get scared. But when they're on stage, they feel the music and block out everything else. Being there reminds them why they signed a contract in the first place." It was the most inspirational thing J.J. had ever said. The other three could only contemplate his words until Rick busted up laughing._

_"What Sally Jessy Raphael is _trying_ to say, Marty," Rick said through his laughter, while earning a shove from J.J. "is to be cool, be yourself, and play until your fingers bleed," Marty scrunched his nose at this. "Okay, so forget about the bleeding part." Rick rolled his eyes._

_"It's not like we're in a contest or anything." Spydo said._

_"Exactly, because if we were, you'd be expected to take the bleeding seriously." J.J. said. Marty rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless. _

_"You okay now?" Rick asked. Marty nodded. "Good. Now, can you get me a drink?"_

_Marty's eyes widened. "You want me to go through _that _again?" he pointed to the crowd, which seemed to have grown bigger in the past two minutes._

_"Relax. You're short and skinny, you'll just slip right through," Rick said. Marty raised an eyebrow, his expression set in a 'you've go to be kidding me' look. Rick sighed. "Look, just do it. It'll be good for you." With that, he pushed a protesting Marty into the sea of people, leaving him alone and defenseless. While struggling through yet again, Marty pondered how this could possibly be good for him._

_He reached the bar at last and plopped into a conveniently available stool. The bar tender, a middle aged woman with frizzy brown hair swept into a bun and black rimmed glasses, squinted at him suspiciously. _

_"You twenty-one?" she asked._

_"No, I'm not ordering alcohol." Marty said, hastily. _

_"You eighteen?"_

_He paused. "No…"_

_The woman put her hand on her hip. "Then how the hell didja get in here?" she asked harshly. He smirked, remembering the fake ID Rick gave him. _

_"Wouldn't you like to know?" _

_The woman studied him, a strand of hair falling in her face. Marty thought he was busted for sure, until she cracked a smile._

_"You're a sharp one. Hey, I won't tell if you won't."_

_Marty laughed in relief. "Thanks. Can I have two Pepsis?"_

_"Sure, kid," she said. She reached behind her for two glasses, then produced two cans of Pepsi from under the counter. "So how old are you anyway?" she asked, starting to pour out the first can. Marty stopped her and asked for the cans only. She nodded and returned the glasses. _

_"I'm fifteen, but my band and I are here for the War Tour, so it's not like I'm here for fun. Well…I am…but…" Marty trailed off lamely. She nodded, understanding._

_"I was wondering how you got past the muscle heads at the entrance."_

_"You'd be amazed what a fake ID can do for you."_

_The woman laughed. "You're a good kid. What's your name?"_

_"Marty McFly."_

_"Well hi, Marty, I'm Marlene Parker," they smiled and shook hands. "How eerie, our name are so alike."_

_"Yeah, weird."_

_"All right, I got other drinks to fill, and not just Pepsis. It was good talking to you, Marty."_

_"You too, Marlene."_

_"I'll cheer for you guys the loudest." With a wink, she turned and walked to the other end of the bar. Marty smiled, thankful he made a friend and not an enemy. He didn't notice anyone next to him until he heard a sigh. He looked to his right to find a girl with brown curly hair and a small frame sitting on the stool. She had an elbow on the bar top, and her chin rested in the palm on her hand. A thick book was open and her eyes were cast down at it._

_"How can you read with all this noise?" Marty asked. The girl blinked and looked up at him. He was shocked to see that she didn't look much older than him. 'I wonder how she got in', he thought._

_She grinned. "I'm used to it," she admitted, then went back to her book. "I know what you're thinking and my mom works here. I come hang out every once in a while."_

_Marty shrugged. "I didn't say-"_

_"I know, but I get asked that a lot so I figured I'd save you some time," she interrupted. "You're with a band aren't you?"_

_He nodded. "Yeah, how'd you know?"_

_"Because there's no way a kid as scrawny as you could get in to a club without an adult or a fake ID. So which is it?"_

_"Fake ID." Marty said. He knew he'd seen this girl before, but from where?_

_She laughed. "Naturally."_

_"I'm not as scrawny as you think. I work out." he defended. She closed her book, turned back to him with raised eyebrows._

_"With what? Tree branches with two pound weights?"_

_Marty frowned. "No, just regular ten pounders."_

_"Oh yeah, you're so big and strong." she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. A random thought struck him, which made them steer away from his ability to never gain muscle._

_"Do you go to Hill Valley High School?"_

_"Who wants to know?"_

_"I heard you're a wanted criminal and if you're who I think you are, I'm turning you in for a seven hundred dollar reward." He said coolly. She just stared at him._

_"Wow, that's really lame. I was worth a thousand yesterday." She said with a straight face. Marty rolled his eyes._

_"Jesus Christ, it was a joke! _I_ go to Hill Valley, that's why I asked."_

_"No! Really? What a coincidence, me too!" she said, her voice unflatteringly high. Then her smile dropped and her voice was back to its normal, sardonic tone. "Yeah, I know, Marty. We're in the same math class. And english class _and_ art class."_

_"Holy shit! How come I've never noticed you?"_

_"You're too busy with your friends and I don't like to be bothered. I don't talk to anyone and my only other two friends don't have classes when you and I do."_

_"Oh," he said. Now he felt bad. He thought he knew everyone in his class. "Well, I wish we could switch lives for a day. I've never had a day to myself and I sometimes hate all the attention."_

_She frowned. "That's a weird attitude for someone who's aspiring to be a rock star."_

_"You know my music?" he asked, surprised._

_"Sure, I've heard a few songs."_

_"What do you think of us? Honestly."_

_"Honestly? I like the lyrics and you have a beat I can jam to."_

_Marty was intrigued. "What's your name?"_

_"Jennifer Parker," she said. "I hope you're not thinking of turning me in for seven hundred bucks; because I'm worth more than that." Marty laughed, feeling a real connection to this girl._

_"Is that your mom?" he pointed to Marlene._

_"Yeah."_

_"She's so awesome."_

_Jennifer rolled her eyes. "If you say so."_

_Marty heard his name being called out and Rick emerged from the crowd._

_"Here you are. We got worried when you didn't come back. Where's my drink?" he asked, looking out of breath. Marty handed Rick his Pepsi._

_"Not so easy getting through there, is it?" Marty smirked._

_"Shut up," Rick glared and opened the can. "Oh hey, Jennifer. Your mom working tonight?"_

_"Hi, Rick. No, I'm here for the boos. Yes, my mom is working! Duh!"_

_"Aw come on, Jen. You're an alchie, just admit it."_

_"Wait, you guys know each other?" Marty asked, confused. _

_"We dated." Rick said, grinning slyly._

_"Yeah, in seventh grade for like two weeks."_

_"The best two weeks of our lives." Rick put an arm around her. Jennifer made a face. _

_"Ugh, please, I wish I'd dated a slug rather than you." she pushed his arm away in disgust._

_"Slugs don't know how to treat a lady." Rick said, a little hurt, but still keeping the grin._

_"True, but they don't make unwanted advances." she said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a meaningful look. Marty could sense tension and the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the middle._

_"Okay well I think we're going to go," Marty said quickly, standing up and finishing his Pepsi. "I hope you stay and watch us. We're up next." he took Rick by the shoulders and steered them away to the crowd and then to the stage, where Spydo and J.J. were tuning up. "I'm not even going to ask what that was about and I really don't care."_

_"Ah, it's nothing, Marty. We're friends now, though I gotta admit, she's still as cute as she was in middle school." Rick said, jumping on stage, grabbing his drumsticks as he went. Marty looked back to the bar before he too went on stage. He spotted Jennifer, who was apparently looking for someone, too. When her eyes landed on him, he made out the tiniest smile._

_"She sure _is_ cute." he said, taking his place in front of the microphone, where he was meant to be._**

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****AN: I don't know about you, but when I started writing this, I could see Jennifer as a bad girl when she was younger. I mean, she wasn't BAD, just different then how we know her. Then as she got older, she grew into the person who we know and love in the movies. Does that make sense? I hope so, lol. This is my all time favourite chapter, I hope you think so too. Oh and Sally Jessy Raphael was a talk show host way back in the 80's to early 2002. She was kind of like Oprah, and I wanted to use Oprah but she wasn't around in 1983. So and yeah, I don't own either show, lol. Leave the love in a review! See you in chapter 4 :)**

**DreamlessMermaid**


	4. Chapter 4

The Perfect Gift

Chapter 4

**AN: Yeah I know this chapter is out kind of early, but I'm bored and I felt like updating, lol. I'm supposed to be working on my "Peter Pan" story, but I have awful writer's block right now. It sucks. Anyway, to make up for it, I hope you all enjoy this amazingly fast update. And now for the shout outs.**

**bttf4444: Thank you, I'm glad you think so! Yeah, I like the idea of them meeting outside of school, I don't know why. It seemed right. Also, it goes with my plot point, haha. Well, Jennifer's not all bad, just kind of sarcastic and…You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter. All I can honestly say about your work, and I know you've heard it over and over, is to not make them so much like the movies, "Marty's Twin" in particular. That's all I ever see out of most "Back to the Future" writers, at least the ones I've come across. Think outside the box, or heck, try and write an original piece of fiction and replace the names, lol. All I know, is it just gets really boring when someone practically copies and pastes any of the movies. You haven't, thank God, but I've seen a couple people do that and it horrifies me…Plus their grammar is AWFUL! Anyway, like I said, I would be more than willing to help, but I'm just trying to get through finishing most of my own stories, haha. Thanks for the review!**

**Flaming Trails: Yay for my awesome idea! I don't know if you've noticed, but I joined the backtothefanfic community at Live Journal, yay! I'm excited to write the August challenge, I haven't started yet, but I will soon enough. Anyway, thanks for the review :)**

**LegallyRed: Yay, a review from you! Stupid not letting you review chapter 2. I know, I am the bestest aren't I? Haha. Love you, girly, and think of me when your sitting in class, bored out of your mind, because I'll be thinking of you! Only…I won't be in a classroom, I'll be at home. Anyway, thanks for the review. Think of me fondly!**

**Anyway, now that those are done, please continue on with chapter 4. Although, chapter 5 will be the last chapter ever. I know, it's sad, but I'm grateful for you! Enjoy this chapter and reviews are like ice cream. Yummy and…yummy :) **

* * *

The next morning was bright and clear, December 6th. Marty awoke to an annoying buzzing in his ear, and he promptly smacked it away. He turned over, opened his eyes, and saw Jennifer, still asleep. He smiled, thinking about his dream. It was how he and Jennifer first met. It was always an odd story to tell, two fifteen-year-olds meeting in a club, but the listeners always sighed and smiled nonetheless. Although Marty knew Rick would never think twice about it, he was still glad that Rick and Jennifer's past was put behind them and were now the best of friends. Mrs. Parker was still one of the coolest moms ever, and now Marty understood why his future daughter was named Marlene.

He struggled out of bed, trying to avoid waking Jennifer. He tiptoed to the door, picking up his guitar as he went, and exited as quietly as possible. The living room was empty, as the other guys were fast asleep in their own room. Marty swayed where he stood, so he looked out the nearest window to find the countryside flashing by in a white haze.

'I wonder if we're almost to Utah,' he thought. They had been driving all night so he figured they should be close.

He picked out a spot on the vacant couch that faced the window. With the guitar in his lap, he began to absently pick at a few chords while staring out the window. He began brainstorming about what he could possibly give Jennifer for their anniversary. He couldn't exactly go out and buy something, the paparazzi and insane fans would mob him. If he ordered something from a catalogue he wouldn't get it in time. Besides, it wasn't like he had a permanent address at the moment.

His fingers expertly plucked away at the guitar, and he played a few notes from "Punk Rock Blues". As he jammed, memories flooded his vision.

_Himself, Rick, J.J. and Spydo at eighteen behind another club in town, each holding some form of liquor in their hand._

Marty laughed at the memory. After seeing his mom drink in 1955, he thought he would never touch alcohol. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, thoughand he asked if he could try one. Needless to say he will never drink again.

_It had only been a few months after Marty and Jennifer met. They began hanging out more and more, learning new and surprising things about one another. He got the feeling, though, that her friends didn't like him. He didn't know why, he'd never done anything to them. When he said something to either of them, they'd be really short with him and sometimes ignore him. Jennifer didn't know why they were acting that way, and she apologized for everything they'd done. Marty only smiled, saying it didn't bother him what they thought, and adding (with cheeks burning) that it only mattered what she thought._

That was the day when Marty realized how much he liked her. Jennifer's friends eventually warmed up to him after that and had started to talk to him more.

_"Marty!" Jennifer called to him in the bustling hallway. He turned away from J.J. and saw her running toward him. He smiled instantly when he saw her, his stomach twisting in knots. As she got closer, his smile faded when he noticed that her eyes were red and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Something wasn't right. _

_"Jen, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked in concern when she caught up to him. She couldn't contain her crying so Marty put an arm around her, told J.J. to go on to class without him, and led her outside to the front of the building. As soon as they sat on the steps, the bell rang for class to start. Marty didn't care if he was late, it was nothing new._

_Jennifer continued to cry and he tried to console her by rubbing a hand soothingly across her back. When the tears finally ceased she sniffed pitifully and turned to him._

_"Oh God, Marty, I'm sorry. I feel like such a fool." she said._

_"No! It's fine, why don't you tell me what's wrong. Is it your family?"_

_"No, everything's fine at home," she sniffed again. "Marty, I'm getting expelled."_

_"What?" he nearly shouted._

_"I haven't been passing any of my classes since October, and it's already February."_

_"Well, can't you do anything? School isn't over yet and I bet you can pull your grades up in time for June." Marty encouraged. He would do anything he could to keep Jennifer in school. He hadn't told her how he felt yet, he wasn't ready. But he still wanted her around. He fell more in love with her everyday. Sure he was only fifteen, soon to be sixteen, and still a kid, but Marty believed in love at first sight and that it didn't matter how old you were. Love happened at any age._

_Jennifer shook her head. "Probably not. It's not just grades it's…Well, let's just say I'm not on Strickland's Favourite Students list."_

_Marty laughed. "Who is?"_

_This made her grin. "Before I met you, Marty, I was…different. I had some attitude problems, I would talk back to teachers, occasionally go for a smoke in the bathroom, graffiti the dumpsters, skip school…you name it I did it."_

_"And now?"_

_"I know this is going to sound really stupid and horribly cliched, but since I met you I stopped doing all of those things. You've changed me somehow, changed me for the better," she smiled at him and took him in for a tight hug. He blinked but soon hugged her back, his arms wrapping around her waist. He discreetly inhaled her perfume. Boy, did she smell nice. "Thank you, Marty." she whispered._

_"You're welcome, Jen." he whispered back. They broke away and the next thing he knew, she picked up his hands and entwined them with hers._

Jennifer could never explain how he changed her. Marty never noticed the difference, but that moment in front of the school, while staring into her eyes, he knew how far he fell. It was a feeling he'd _never _experienced with any other girl.

An idea hit him them, on the couch, and he got up to get his notebook from the table. He kept all of his song ideas in there and he treasured it more than his Atari set. When he opened it, two pictures fell out. He picked them up and laughed at the first one. It was his and Jennifer's senior prom picture. This was taken in May, just seven months after his adventures with Doc and the notorious DeLorean, so he was still seventeen. The theme that year was "Viva Las Vegas" and so they were standing in front of a backdrop with a beautiful picture of the Las Vegas strip at sunset. Jennifer was so gorgeous that night. After prom, Marty stayed a few minutes at her house to indulge her parents in the night's events. When he mentioned the theme, he put an arm around Jennifer and jokingly told them that they were going to move to Vegas after high school. Marty never forgot Mrs. Parker's look. If looks could kill…Of course, he and Jennifer quickly took back the joke, saying they would _never _consider Las Vegas.

The second picture was a black and white one of Jennifer that Linda discreetly captured at a picnic in the park. She was sitting against a tree, reading, while the sunrays cut through the leaves and illuminated her skin perfectly. It was so simple yet easily his favourite picture of her. This was when they were sixteen and had just started dating. He tacked this photo to his bedroom wall as soon as he got it and it remained in the same place until he moved out. He never bothered to frame it because he carried it everywhere.

With these memories recovered, inspiration swarmed his mind and his fingers itched for a pen to begin writing lyrics. He now knew what he could give Jennifer.**

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****AN: Any ideas what it might be? (sarcasm) I think it's pretty obvious, lol. This wasn't very long but that's all right, you guys don't mind. Like I said, reviews are like ice cream. Yummy and yummy, they make me feel good inside :) See you all in chapter 5!**

**DreamlessMermaid**


	5. Chapter 5

The Perfect Gift

Chapter 5

**AN: This is the last chapter (cries) Thanks for all of you sticking by me! Shout out time!**

**bttf4444: I love sweet Marty, he's just so darn cute. Thanks for the review!**

**Hot4KidFlash: Thank you. I like the Bad Girl Jennifer, maybe I'll use her for another story someday ;) Thank you for the review. **

**Flaming Trails: Well here it is, in person. Hope you like it! Thanks again for the review!**

**Legally Red: I LOVE YOU! You are my sunshine :) You are the glue that holds me together, without 'me'you're just 'aweso'! And I hate that you're going back to school,because then I'll have no one to talk to about...all the crazy things we talk about! But you gotta get graduated sometime, lol. Anyway, thanks for stickin' with me through everything. You're the greatest **

**Yes this is the last chapter, I hope everyone enjoys it.And remember, reviews make me dance through the street with happiness :)**

* * *

He had only been writing for an hour when the bus lurched to a stop.

"Hey guys," came a voice from the overhead speaker. It was Ben, the driver. "We've just passed the border into Utah. I've stopped to fill up the tank and to get more directions from R.J." Marty stood, walked to the far wall and pressed the intercom button that led to the very front of the bus.

"Thanks, Ben."

"You're welcome, Marty."

Marty put down the notebook next to his guitar and walked to the kitchen where he began gathering the ingredients to make coffee. The next minute Jennifer stumbled out of the bedroom, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Was that Ben?" she asked sleepily. Marty nodded.

"Yeah, we're in Utah. He stopped to get gas." he explained. Jennifer nodded and plopped herself down in front of the table. The coffee timer went off and Marty poured her a cup.

"Thanks." she said.

"Sure. You okay? You don't look so good." Marty asked, now pouring himself a cup.

"Yeah," she said, taking a careful sip. "I'm just really tired. I didn't get much sleep."

"Why?" Marty frowned.

She shrugged. "No idea. I'll take a nap today if I have to. Right now, coffee is my best friend," she brought the mug to her lips where she blew on the surface of the liquid to cool it down. "Well, I better get started on breakfast."

"No, Jen, you sit and indulge in your new friend. I'll make breakfast." Marty insisted. Jennifer raised her eyebrows.

"Do you know how?"

"It can't be _that _hard," Marty walked to the freezer. He searched for a while before finding something worthwhile. "Look! Waffles!"

Jennifer laughed, running fingers through her messy hair. "Marty, you're hopeless."

"That's true. But you'll still eat them." They smiled at one another and he began preparing a breakfast that would knock the professional chefs dead.

* * *

A few more days passed and Marty was halfway done with his gift to Jennifer. The lyrics were done, now all he needed was to get a solid beat and practice it with the others. Obviously, Marty didn't want Jennifer to find out what he was up to, so every chance he got he would send her out to do grocery shopping or pick up lunch if she didn't feel like cooking.

Two days before the fifteenth, Marty gave her his credit card and told her to go to the mall and buy anything she wanted; clothes, makeup, shoes and whatever other girl stuff. He seemed rather eager for her to go and she was starting to get suspicious.

December fifteenth finally arrived and Marty felt better than ever. It was ironic that this concert ended up being held in Los Angeles, on his anniversary of all days! He hoped they could make a quick stop in Hill Valley for a while to say hi to their families. He was eager to see Doc again and catch him up on how the Rock Star life was treating him. Every other time they'd been anywhere in California they never went to Hill Valley, but Marty still liked to hope.

"Good morning, Marty." said a sly voice in his ear. Jennifer bobbed into view, all smiles.

"Hi," they quickly kissed. "And _what _are you so cheerful about this morning?"

"Oh, you know, just the fact that we're going to Hill Valley tomorrow."

"We are? How do you know?" Marty asked, amazed.

"I talked to R.J. last night and he agreed that we all needed a break for a bit. Happy anniversary!" She couldn't contain her joy. She giggled.

"Holy shit! That's the best gift ever! Thank you!"

"Wait, there's a part two," she said. She pulled out from behind her back a present, wrapped and everything. It was flat and square shaped. "I didn't get you a card because I knew it wouldn't hold a candle to the gift." She handed him the present.

"Jen, you know you didn't-"

"I know, but I wanted to. Besides, I know you're doing something big for me so I figured I should return the favor."

Marty looked down at his gift and speculated what it could be. Without wasting a minute more, he tore off the paper and almost fell down in shock. He screamed instead.

"Oh my, God! Holy shit! How the _hell _did you find this!"

Jennifer laughed loudly at his reaction. "I'm guessing you like it!"

"Like it? I LOVE it! Thank you!" Marty swooped her into a hug and gave her a long kiss. The present was an original 1972 Chuck Berry record.

"But wait, there's _still _more. Look in the corner." Jennifer pointed to the upper right hand corner of the record. There, in bold black marker was-

"His autograph!" he gasped. She nodded enthusiastically.

"The guy at the record store had it encased in glass and was surprised that I had enough money to pay for it. When I told him it was for you he just about fell out of his chair," she laughed. "I didn't care how much it was. How often do I spend five hundred dollars? Never! It's our anniversary and I wanted it to be special."

"Oh it's special all right," Marty said, still marveling at the record. He looked up at her. "Thanks again, Jennifer. I love you, so much." They kissed again. "Happy anniversary. You're present will have to wait until tonight, but believe me, you're going to love it."

Later that day, Jennifer tried to worm her way into going to practice with the boys, but Marty had wanted to practice a few more times to make it perfect. Needless to say, he hastily declined her request, much to her disappointment, but instead rewarded her with a card and a hug. This made her happy.

* * *

"Okay, guys. Do you remember the words? The beat?" Marty asked for the billionth time that night. Show time was only two minutes away and Marty was suddenly getting nervous. Rick sighed heavily.

"Yes, lover boy, we know _everything_. You've worked us to the bone the past week. This better be going on the next album because I did not learn this to only play it once."

Marty laughed. He _had_ been tough on them, working them day and night. But he knew any of them would do the same thing if they were in his position. "Don't worry, I've already talked to R.J. about it and he thinks it's a great idea."

"So do I. Man, Jennifer won't know what hit her." Spydo said, smiling.

Suddenly, the stage went dark, blue lights illuminated the surrounding area and the four men glanced at each other.

That was their cue.

They ran out on stage and the crowd roared with delight, the noise deafening. That was Marty's favourite part of concerts. He grabbed the microphone and a spotlight lit up his form. The crowd went crazy.

"HELLO, L.A.!" Marty shouted, his voice echoing around the concert hall. The audience screamed their response. "Whoo! It's good to be home! Okay, to my left is Spydo on guitar! J.J. plays bass guitar and Rick back there is on drums. Then there's me, Marty, and I'm lead guitar, but you already knew that. LET'S ROCK THIS JOINT!"

Marty did this at every concert; introduce them like they needed more publicity. Sometimes he got caught up in himself and Spydo would have to kick him to get him to start the show.

Marty requested that Jennifer be in the audience tonight so when he sang her song he could be looking at her. He spotted her as soon as he came onstage and gave her an encouraging smile. She, of course, still had no idea what was going on, why she wasn't behind the stage, but he had his reasons.

The Pinheads played their songs vigorously, with ease, intentionally leaving Jennifer's song until the very end. Now, it had finally come. What they all prepared for. What he had to lie to Jennifer about when he'd unexpectedly shove her out the door.

"Thanks, guys, we're having a blast," Marty said into the microphone. "Okay, so today is a great day because it's mine and my wife's third wedding anniversary," he immediately found her and she looked up at him in confusion. "I wanted to give her something great, something that money could never buy. Jennifer McFly, I wrote this for you. I love you." Her eyes widened, she smiled radiantly, and of course he had to ruin the moment by adding, "I hope you guys like it because it's going on the next album!"

_Hangin out behind the club on the weekend  
Acting stupid getting drunk with my best friends  
I couldn't wait till the summer and the War Tour  
I remember it's the first time that I saw her there_

Jennifer couldn't believe he still remembered that. It was eleven years ago! She was so different back then; it amazed her that she acted that way.

Marty never broke eye contact with her and he watched her emotions change from confusion to delight to pure happiness. He knew he'd score some major points later on.

_She's getting kicked out of school because she's failing  
I'm kind of nervous 'cause I think all her friends hate me  
She's the one she'll always be there  
She took my hand and that made it I swear_

Her grades had been steadily declining and the school had had enough of her attitude, so they simply decided to kick her out. Marty was the only one to stick by her and actually want her in school. He fought the school district for her, claiming that Jennifer's bad actions should be left in the past and that he would be willing to help her with her grades. Eventually, the district agreed with Marty and let Jennifer stay. When she heard that he'd won, she was surprised. No one had ever wanted her around as much as Marty, not even her own friends, and that day on the steps she had fallen head over heels for him.

_Because I fell in love with the girl at the rock show  
She said what and I told her that I didn't know  
She's so cool I'm gonna sneak in through her window  
Everything's better when she's around  
I can't wait 'til her parents go out of town  
I fell in love with the girl at the rock show_

Jennifer frowned. She didn't remember Marty ever sneaking through her window. Well, maybe once, but her parents were _not _out of town, just out of the room.

_When we said we were gonna move to Vegas  
I remember the look her mother gave us  
Seventeen without a purpose or direction  
We don't owe anyone a fucking explanation_

She laughed because her mom _still _talked about it to this day. Mrs. Parker would call about once a week to see how Jennifer was doing, and she'd subtly slip in that she hoped her only daughter hadn't gone house hunting in Las Vegas. Jennifer often wondered how her mom would react if she joked about buying a condominium.

"Oh my God, girl, you are so lucky!" a girl next to Jennifer shouted over the music. She turned and saw that this girl looked no older than sixteen.

'When did sixteen-year-olds get permission to go to a concert by themselves?' Jennifer thought. A guy next to the young girl put an arm around her; he looked about twenty. 'Oh, that's when.'

"Hey, is that guy really your husband?" he asked her, pointing to Marty. Jennifer swelled with pride.

"Yes."

"Dude, he's the best. I'm one of his biggest fans!"

"Thank you! I'll tell him you said so!" Jennifer smiled.

"Awesome!" he shouted once more before the couple turned back to the band.

_Black and white picture of her on my wall  
I waited for her call  
She always kept me waiting  
And if I ever got another chance  
I'd still ask her to dance  
Because she kept me waiting_

She always loved to play hard to get with him. Before they dated and she admitted to herself that she liked him, she'd play head games with him. Some might call it mean; yet he always came back for more. And at every school dance, they'd dance together during each song.

_I'll never forget tonight…_

The last line of the song faded away, their voices still echoing around them, but Marty still held her gaze. They both knew they would _never _forget tonight, and as Marty walked off stage, he couldn't wait to spend the rest of the night with the girl at the rock show.**

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****AN: All together now. AWWWWW:) I love this chapter. All right so obviously the song is not mine. I'm really bad at poetry so there's no way I could make up my own song. It's Blink 182's "Rock Show". I was listening to this one night and the lyrics just seemed perfect. I changed one word, "Warped" to "War" because Warped Tour wasn't around in the 80's, that's the only reason why I changed it. I don't own anything by Blink 182, that song belongs to them. So…yeah. Oh yeah, don't own Chuck Berry either, or Eric Clapton or the Rolling Stones.**

**Anyway, thanks again to everyone that reviewed. I might be coming out with another BttF story pretty soon, but it's a big maybe. We'll see ;) Bye, everyone!**

**DreamlessMermaid**_  
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